MARC JOUBERT: "If People are Asked Where They Live, Saying ‘Lake Views’ Will be Enough"!

Marc Joubert /Photo credit: Salamon Photography

If People are Asked Where They Live, Saying ‘Lake Views’ Will be Enough!

BY RUDINA HOXHA & JOSE PINTO

ALBANIA IS UNIQUE BECAUSE IT’S A VERY CREATIVE, INTERNATIONAL AND OPEN-MINDED SOCIETY THAT IS DEVELOPING QUICKLY. WE WANT TO HELP BY CONTRIBUTING IDEAS NOW AND DEVELOPING PROPOSALS THAT WILL MAKE ALBANIA AN EVEN BETTER PLACE IN THE FUTURE, FOR ALBANIANS AND VISITORS.

Marc Joubert is proud of all of his projects so far but even more of Lake Views Residences because “it will be a unique part of the city with its own identity, while very well connected to its surroundings.”

For Lake Views, Joubert said that they were inspired by Mediterranean hotel architecture. “We imagined a hotel atmosphere, where people can feel like they’re on a vacation when they come home, while having all the facilities and advantages of living in the city,” he said in an exclusive interview with TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE. Joubert’s architecture studio - JA Joubert Architecture, is working on many projects including being invited to enter the competition for the new Municipality of Tirana as well as ‘Parklife’ project in the south of Tirana, which has started construction.

Full interview below:

Everyone who takes a stroll or a run at Park of Tirana wonders about Lake Views and Residences design. How did you come to this particular architecture that fits so well in this part of Tirana city?

When we were asked to produce a proposal for the Lake Views location, we already had some experience in Tirana and knew the location well. With this unique location so close to the city centre and on the edge of the lake and park, we wanted to take

Image by VERO

full advantage of its connections to them as well as the views to the mountains and hills surrounding Tirana. We wanted to maximise views for all the buildings’ inhabitants, not just the top floors. If they are in apartments, offices or the hotel, they deserve the best views possible. So we knew from the beginning we didn’t want the same height blocks or towers next to each other. If you look carefully you can see we undulated the buildings vertically to create green terraces with views on the edges and twisted the buildings so that vistas are never blocked. Every building has maximum views while still being connected to the neighborhood!

In your opinion, what ways does Lake Views make headlines? Can you share some interesting facts about it?

It will be a unique part of the city with its own identity, while very well connected to its surroundings. If people are asked where they live, saying ‘Lake Views’ will be enough! We were inspired by Mediterranean hotel architecture. We imagined a hotel atmosphere, where people can feel like they’re on a vacation when they come home, while having all the facilities and advantages of living in the city.

Image by VERO

How has it been for you working with Gener 2 professional staff and team? Can you share any moments you remember from this experience?

The speed of the design process was impressive. When we had our first proposals, working in our offices in Rotterdam, we invited them for a collaboration meeting. They booked a flight and were in our office the next morning!

Going through your portfolio, it is clear that you have previous experience in Albania and the Balkans. What attracts you here? Is Albania already a pot of imagination and creativity? Are there any other project coming soon?

We work all over, in France, Netherlands, Germany, South Africa and others as well as Albania. Albania is unique because it’s a very creative, international and open-minded society that is developing quickly. We want to help by contributing ideas now and developing proposals that will make Albania an even better place in the future, for Albanians and visitors.

We are working on several projects in our offices including being invited to enter the competition for the new Municipality of Tirana. We are also working on our ‘Parklife’ project in the south of Tirana, which has started construction. In Rotterdam, we are building a new sports facility and on Cyprus we are working on a new resort and marina. There are several interesting projects under development but as you know, sometimes we have to wait before making them public…!

In 1996, you went to Netherlands to get involved in different international projects. How important was this period of time on your career as an architect?

I have always worked worldwide since I started my career. With my origins in South Africa and Germany and our company JA Joubert Architecture founded in The Netherlands, it was natural to work worldwide. Since the mid 90’s, I have worked on every continent in the world, but I learnt that quality, originality and attention to detail is universal!